Technology Wisdom

Here are some general tips for the technology ignorant and savvy alike – in no particular order:

Two monitors are better than one

Changing file formats (e.g. odt to doc) is a tricky business – avoid where possible

If you can’t open a file to translate by double clicking on it, try right clicking it and selecting a text editor to open it with. If the text editor can’t open it, or if all you see if jibberish, it’s probably a binary/proprietary file.

Don’t be completely dependent on one internet browser – they all have quirks

Doc and docx files can be converted to RTF with relatively little loss of information and RTF is a standard that any text editor should be able to open (though #2 above is still true)

Backup your data – hardware will go bad eventually

Antivirus software, while helpful, can also get in the way and hog computer resources – manage appropriately (one should be enough)

When you are completely stuck on an issue, do multiple Google searches, not just one, rephrasing your query by adding and removing specifics

XML files sound intimidating, but are just text with a bunch of tags (e.g. ) – same with HTML

Upgrading just one portion of your computer hardware will often leave a bottle-neck elsewhere

Most versions of Windows 7 are 64 bit, and so you should try to get a 64 bit version of computer programs where available, as they make more RAM available

You can find out what’s slowing your computer down by 1. Opening your Task Manager, going to the processes tab and seeing what is using your CPU and RAM and 2. Checking the hard drive light on your computer to see if it is lit up

Taking the time to learn OS and program shortcuts can help save a lot of time